Jan Ogilvy (1936 – 2024)

Janet Van Aver was born in Pomona, California and was raised in Bellingham, Washington. She attended the University of British Columbia, where she met and married geologist Cam Ogilvy. She and Cam moved to Whitehorse in 1970 with their three children, John, Alan, and Laurel (Parry).¹⁾

Jan began working for the Yukon Government in 1970 in the territorial secretary’s office. In 1974, she started at the Whitehorse Public Library and continued working there until 1980 when she moved to the front desk at the main territorial administration building. Her photographic memory made her ‘the keystone of the Yukon government’ as she guided inquiries to the proper person. She was the welcoming face to all who entered the building for seventeen years until her retirement in 1997.²⁾